Campioni del mondo nel calcio? Non ci basta, perché no nel tennis?
di Ubaldo Scanagatta
13 settembre 2006
(Articolo inviato in inglese per il sito della Federazione Internazionale, con la presentazione di Ubaldo Scanagatta, alla vigilia della finale di FED CUP vinta dall’Italia sul Belgio)
The World Cup is not enough
This coming weekend in Charleroi, about 40km from Brussels, Italy will play Belgium in its first Fed Cup final. Here is respected Italian journalist Ubaldo Scanagatta, tennis writer for La Nazione of Florence, Il Giorno in Milan, Il Resto del Carlino in Bologna, and national radio and tv broadcaster, on how the Italians and Italian media see this historic clash…
“The match looks pretty even, assuming that world No. 2 and US Open runner-up Justine Henin-Hardenne plays, as she will be expected to win both her singles rubbers.
“Francesca Schiavone and either Flavia Pennetta (who withdrew from the US Open because of a sore left wrist) or Mara Santangelo should on paper defeat the No.2 Belgian Kirsten Flipkens (no. 98 on the WTA computer). If these predictions, primarily based on the rankings, are right, then the final doubles (quite possibly Henin-Flipkens vs.Vinci-Schiavone or Vinci-Pennetta) would, of course, become decisive.”
Previous meetings between the two mean nothing
“And, for sure, the thrill would be there. Nobody remembers that Italy has defeated Belgium in Fed Cup six out of six times. Five of those meetings came way back more than 19 years ago, while in the last one in Bologna (2002) Belgium was missing both its stars, Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters. Italy won it 4-1, but it is almost a meaningless result.
“Belgium did very well to beat Russia in the first round in April, and then could have lost against the United States in the semifinals in April this year, if the Americans had brought their best team, but it didn’t happen. Italy had a much more difficult task in the quarters, against France in Nancy - Schiavone’s win against world No.1 Mauresmo was the key - than in the semifinals against Spain in Zaragoza.”
Italy in the Final isn’t such a surprise…
“But is it a real surprise to find Italy in the final? Only a little bit. On paper there were, at the beginning of the year, few other teams that seemed to be better. But not that many, if you consider that Italy has almost permanently, since the beginning of this year, and part of 2005, two Top-20 players, Francesca Schiavone (14) and Flavia Pennetta (20).
“And it can also boast some other accomplished players like Mara Santangelo (33), who won her first tournament in Bangalore earlier this year, and Roberta Vinci (90) who, pairing with Sandrine Testud, was able to get to the 2001 US Open Final and is considered within the Italian team ‘The Doubles Specialist’. Even if Schiavone got to the US Open semifinals (with Kveta Peschke) just last week, losing only to the eventual winners Dechy-Zvonareva. Plus, it wouldn’t be fair to forget that there are usually seven or eight Italian women in the top 100, including Maria Elena Camerin, Romina Oprandi, Tathiana Garbin and Antonella Serra Zanetti (who was no. 64 less than one year ago).”
Belgium seem beatable without Clijsters
“That’s nothing compared to Russia (six in the top 13!) in terms of depth, of course, and not even France (five in the top 37),but let me say that if Fed Cup ties required more than just two singles players, Italy would probably often deserve at least a place in the last four.
Belgium, of course, may normally count on two top stars like Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Cljisters, but with Clijsters injured, suddenly Belgium seems beatable. Even if Kirsten Flipkens, likely to deputise for Clijsters this weekend, showed she had some guts by upsetting, at home, the better-ranked American Jill Craybas in the semis.
“It is true that Italian women haven’t performed too well in the Slams, Silvana Lazzarino back in 1954 at Roland Garros being the last one to make a semifinal, but Italian women’s tennis has probably given more satisfaction to their fans than their male colleagues. In the middle of the Eighties, Raffaella Reggi and Sandra Cecchini were no.13 and no.15 in the world. More recently Silvia Farina Elia reached the best WTA ranking ever for an Italian, no.11 in 2002 missing the Top 10 by a notch on several occasions. Silvia, who made the quarters at Wimbledon that year, and the last sixteen at all other majors, has held for many years a sort of leading role in the Italian team, setting a great example to all her heirs with her simplicity and grace.”
Italian women now believe in themselves
“While the Italian men keep struggling, with Italian no.1 Filippo Volandri only at no. 51 in the ATP rankings, the girls have became slowly but consistently more confident that they could become successful “pros”, and make a living from tennis.
Italy, whose economy is not too healthy at the moment, doesn’t yet have a federal tennis centre for junior girls, but it does for boys.
But luckily for the girls it is a bit easier to find training partners – often boys – that can help develop their natural skill level. Thanks to Silvia Farina Elia before, and Francesca Schiavone (who has twice reached the quarterfinals and three other times the last sixteen in majors) more recently, all the Italian girls have learnt that they have to work hard to earn a good ranking.
It took a while, for instance, for Flavia Pennetta (third round this year at Wimbledon, last sixteen one year ago) to realise that. But now, and not only through the good example of boyfriend Carlos Moya, she became very competitive.
“For sure all Italian girls, right now, are much more confident in their chances than they were some years ago. In a way, I guess, it would be more difficult for Belgian girls to imitate Justine and Kim, because their talent is so huge that is quite difficult to relate to them in terms of talent. In Charleroi, in the Spiridoume, I was told it will be very hot – both in terms of temperature and atmosphere. Well, we all do not ask for anything more than an exciting final.
“And from my point of view…a possible win for Italy. Being champions of the world in soccer is not enough!”